One morning the old man went to gather wood while his wife washed clothes beside the river. As she worked, she heard a curious sound from upstream.
“Donburako, donburako,” went something large, bobbing over the water.
It was the biggest peach she had ever seen. She pulled it ashore and carried it home with considerable effort. That evening, just as the couple prepared to cut it, the peach opened by itself. Inside sat a healthy baby boy, blinking at them as calmly as if travelling by peach were perfectly ordinary.
The couple laughed and cried with joy. They named him Momotaro—Peach Boy—and raised him with great love.
Momotaro grew astonishingly fast. He became strong enough to lift heavy bundles, but he never used his strength to frighten smaller children. He helped his father carry wood and his mother draw water. When neighbours needed a roof repaired or a cart moved, Momotaro was usually there before anyone finished asking.
At that time, fierce oni from Onigashima—Ogre Island—were troubling coastal villages. They stole rice, cloth and precious objects, leaving families frightened. Momotaro listened to the travellers’ accounts.
“I must go to Onigashima,” he told his parents. “I will ask the oni to return what they have taken and stop harming the villages.”
His parents worried, but they saw that his decision came from compassion rather than pride. His mother prepared her finest kibi dango, millet dumplings, and placed them in a cloth bag. His father gave him a headband and a sturdy staff.
On the road Momotaro met a Dog, who sniffed the dumpling bag.
“Where are you going?” Dog asked.
“To Onigashima.”
“Give me one of Japan’s finest dumplings, and I will go with you.”
Momotaro shared a dumpling. Farther on they met Monkey, who made the same bargain. Dog and Monkey immediately began arguing about who would be more useful.
“Enough,” said Momotaro. “On this journey, a quarrelling companion helps the oni more than us.”
The two fell quiet. Finally they met Pheasant, who received the last dumpling and joined them. Dog had a sharp nose, Monkey could climb, and Pheasant could see far from the sky. Momotaro realised that his companions possessed abilities his own strength could never replace.
Together they walked towards the sea, where Onigashima waited beyond the waves. That evening they camped beside the boat, and Dog slept with one paw firmly on the dumpling bag.